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Tuesday, 26 September 2017

When I bought this book in Hongkonga few months ago, Andreas read the back and was really surprised that I wanted to read it. I think the main reason for him thinking so was because this is a book that is set in the real world (only a few years in the future) and that it's about war. Not usually my cup of tea. But something about it had intrigued me, so I though - why not?

In this book we get an insight in what the Third World War might look like. It's scary. It's realistic. It's quite fascinating and thought-provoking. I will not tell you too much about who the "bad guys" is in this book, but since the authors are american I'll let slip that it's not the USA. Russia and China are involved, but Europe plays only a minor part.

Most of the story takes place on a warship, in Silicone Valley and on Hawaii. We get to follow a few people, a marine, a girl whose fiance is killed and a genius engineer among others. The story shift perspective very often and it is fast paced and although not always action filled.

A few pages in I started to think that Andreas might have been right, and that this book was nothing for me. But I didn't give up. I though it focused a little too much on military strategy and technologies - which isn't very strange since that's basically the themes of this book. But a bit too much for my taste. On the other hand, once I was familiar enough with the characters it got more interesting and even a bit thrilling at times. I'm pretty sure this would make a very nice action movie!

Saturday, 23 September 2017

We live in a world where brands and labels are strangely important. Products and companies need to stand out in the giant flow of information we are bombarded with everyday. But the same goes, in a way, for people. We are in contact with so many people everyday, both "live" and online: we follow them on social media and meet them at the coffee machine at work, it feels like it's even more important these days to know who you are and what you stand for, so that people will remember you. Maybe I'm exaggerating. Maybe I'm right. But maybe this comes from my experience from this past year when one of the labels I used to have on myself has become more vague. It the simple question of: "what do you do for a living?"

To be honest? Nothing.

Which is completely normal where I live now. Most partners here are supported by their spouse, be it the husband or (in fewer of the cases) the wife. I'm here in Brunei on a dependent visa, and I'm not allowed to have an income of my own, unless I manage to get a work permit - which is hard unless you already have a job lined up for you. So if I can't really define myself by what I work with - as is quite common these days - at least I should be able to say something about what I do, you know, on a normal day. And here it becomes complex for other reasons, because as I see it, I can choose between a few different labels.

Am I a housewife? Well, I am a wife (this still feels weird to say, haha!). I stay at home most of the day. I spend some of my time doing laundry and working in the garden - but no more than I did when I had a full time employment. To be honest I think Andreas still cooks more than me. I don't have any kids to look after. Nah, that label doesn't really fit.

So, am I a student? This feels more correct. Although this semester I only study half time, and the little I've seen of the courses it wont even take up fifty percent of a normal work week. So I am a part time student. Sort of. But in a way I feel that label suits better someone who is on the way of becoming something rather than someone that already has a degree and a career and is basically just studying for fun, as I do. Pretty much.

Am I unemployed? Yes for sure I am. No-one is employing me and as of yet I don't have my own business, or make any money to provide for myself. So yes. But it is also completely voluntary and not in any way a problem, and the label unemployed has definitely a negative connotation, which I can't identify with at all right now. Huh.

A normal week for me consists of a quite even mix of studies, working on my own creative projects and work that I do on a volunteer basis. This work is either creating the monthly newsletter I'm editor for - actually a proper part-time position albeit non paid, or providing consultant services as a client-architect liaison and gathering user input for an ongoing rejuvenation project here. I also do some work helping out friends and family with architectural drawings and creating logos and visual profiles - although so far I've done this without payment. All of these things are more or less connected with stuff I used to get paid for, as an architect and designer. So, after some consideration I think I have reached a conclusion about my label. I'm a freelancer. So yes, I don't get paid - yet - but maybe that is something I can solve further down the line. But I do spend quite a large part of my time on relevant projects within the fields of architecture and graphic design. I feel pretty content with this label. At least for now.

As a side note: this morning I dreamed that I went to a job interview at an architects firm in Sweden. And I was completely relaxed and confident. Even though I - as I was sitting down in the interview room - realized that I had forgotten to bring my portfolio. I don't believe in interpreting dreams but I've decided this means that I'm cool with whatever will happen, even if I don't have any proper projects to show off right now.

Tuesday, 19 September 2017

Before I left for my trip I spent an hour or so cleaning out our bathroom cabinet. I did this partly because it felt like a mess but also because I wanted to have a look at all of the hair stuff I had in preparation for my trip - when I go on dance events I like to bring a bunch of fun accessories and this time was no exception.

Should I show up in this pale pink fascinatior?

Or just tone it down with a classic black hairband?

A black polkadotty fluff ball is always fun...

...or maybe this Greek godess look?

Or another polkadotted creation? In pink tulle?

Actually none of these made the cut this time. But I do look forward to doll myself up a bit for the evening parties at the castle. It's been a while! I'll ask my friend Alison to document my best look of the week so I can show you later...

Thursday, 14 September 2017

In just 45 minutes a taxi will pick me up and drive me to the airport. The follows a more then 24 hour trip until I'm back home in Sweden. I look forward to being there, but for the first time in a long while I feel a bit nervous about the trip. I'm not really sure why, maybe because I've had longer time than normal to think about it and prepare. I've been packing, unpacking and repacking for three days now. And I have started missing Andreas before I've even left!

I have loads of fun stuff lined up for this trip, like a weekend with some of my oldest friends, a day trip with my dad to visit my grandmother, some quality time with my mom and a few dates with some of my closest friends. And then, after six days in Sweden I'm off to Germany, to hang out with three really good friends and just dance dance dance.

I should focus on this, not the trip there. Oh well. Time to sort out the final details with my carry on luggage and to get dressed.

The blog will probably be a bit quiet for the next two weeks, although I have presets a few posts so you don's miss me to much... eeeehum.

Monday, 11 September 2017

Today I feel productive. Or at least, I have to be productive, because suddenly it came over me that I only have three whole days until I'm off on Thursday. I'm going to Sweden for almost a week, before spending yet another week in an old castle in Germany, dancing, just like last year. Crazy. I am of course looking forward to it, but it also stresses me out a bit. I still don't feel I have my courses under control, not because there's too much to do, not at all, but because neither of the courses have posted an actual schedule for the semester, making it quite hard to plan. As per usual when things feel a bit too much "up in the air" I make lists. This is what the upcoming fours days will look like for me:

Monday

check in on my course webpages, what needs to be done before I leave? Can I do anything while I'ma away?

make sure everything is in control with the building rejuvenation project I'm involved with

print all travel documents, make sure everything is ok with flights and hotels and check baggage allowances for the flights

Tuesday

work on sustainable branding exercise

check if a new illustration assignment has come up

starts packing, wash and iron everything I want to bring

maybe go to a yoga class?

book a taxi for the airport

Wednesday

Riding lesson in then morning - if it hasn't rained too much. Let my instructor know I will be away for the next two weeks

finish the branding exercise

eat lunch with some friends

finish potential illustration assignment

finish packing, weigh the luggage and then consider removing stuff...

Thursday

begin the day with a long walk or a short run, there will be a lot of sitting down later...

make sure I have my passport and phone packed! the rest is replaceable...

Saturday, 9 September 2017

I'm still not sure about this book. For some reason I had quite high expectations on it, and it ended up being a lot different from what I thought.

I think what I liked best with this story was the setting, in the mid 1600 in Amsterdam. That's not exactly the usual scene for the books I read! Stories that takes place in an historical setting is interesting since you feel you get a sense of that time, and even though the story in itself might be fictional, it feels like you've learned something.

There were definitely interesting and dramatic parts in this book that I liked, and reading it went pretty quickly, but it's just wasn't weird enough, I guess. Well written, for sure, but I don't know. I felt there were a certain aspect - the Minimalist - that could have been weirder and more interesting.

Thursday, 7 September 2017

As the new season begins - at least in some parts of the world - I see more and more fashion on blogs and Instagram accounts that I follow. And my shopping nerve is twinging. You might think it's strange that this can influence me even as I live in a really really hot place with no autumn at all, but it does. I also want to renew myself, dress in cool "back to school" outfits and layers... I have promised myself to cut back on shopping so instead I decided to put my (online) shopping habit to use in making a few mood boards of what I like right now. I'm thinking it might help me rediscover things in my closet and if I end up shopping when i go back to Sweden next week at least I'll be better prepared to only buy what I really want.

The moodboards are made from items from only three shops, H&M, Lindex and Zara. For the only reasons that I can usually fins things I like there and because I'm lazy. I'm not sponsored and I'm sure these styles are quite common in other stores as well..

Tuesday, 5 September 2017

I'm in a foul mood. I woke up with a cold, and now everything seems boring. Yesterday I was so content and felt happy with my productive plans for the week and then this... my eyes are boiling and I can just feel how my nose will explode into a leaking mess any minute now. Meh. I know it's nothing really. But I do feel a bit upset with my body - I think I have treated it so well recently, exercising it, giving it plenty of sleep and good food, candy and even a massage on Sunday! And now it betrays me like this? Rude!

I've spent half of this day in meetings - yeah I know, like a proper grown up! and the rest in the couch with a cat under each arm, watching Doctor Who. Now I'm just waiting for Andreas to come home from the pool so we can have dinner. Although I'm not really hungry. Not so much because of my sore throat or lack of appetite, but because I just ate a ton of chocolate to see if that would help. It didn't.

Anyway. Now I'm off to have a serious talk with my body about gratefulness and see if we can agree on making tomorrow a better day. I'm going to see if I can bribe it with a huge glass of orange juice and an early night.

Monday, 4 September 2017

Here's the next summary of what creative stuff I've been up to for the past two weeks, besides my normal course work and architecture related stuff.

The next thing on my list of techniques to try was macramé. I've always been quite skeptical to this, it just seems a bit... frumpy. But then, on the other hand, I've seen plenty of pretty wall hangings and plant hangers lately so I was actually quite anxious to give this a go. And I'm glad I did. Even though I ended up spending very little time on it - I didn't have enough suitable yarn at home for more then one project - the result was I felt this is something I can play around with more in the future, as it was pretty easy and feels more versatile than I thought. My ambition with these "play-sessions" isn't to end up with a pretty result, but this time at least I created something useful!

super easy macramé plant hangers
what you'll need:
sissors
yarn or string of some suitable kind
some kind of container or pot. (I orginatlly planned to used the bottom half of water bottles as seen in the photo)

I'm actually not going to explain how I did this, but instead just link to this youtube tutorial. I pretty much followed this exactly, except for the length of the pieces or yarn. In my case I made the four pieces ca 1,5m long, but it would have been better if they were at least 10 or 20 cm longer.

Anyway, this is the finished result. I made two plant hangers to hang on the patio. In the end I switched the cut-in-half plastic bottles to a pair of glass jars (I have so many from my addiction to sun-dried tomatoes and pesto). It worked better since they have more weight and were a bit smaller.

my little monsters!
The last week I ended up spending more time "creating" than I have in a very long time. I had this idea - I mentioned it briefly in my last creative challenge post - that I wanted to explore, so instead of spending time on any of the techniques I've been planing to try out I've just been sketching.... monsters!

The first part of the week I just keep drawing, trying to portrait all of these little figures I had in my head. I really felt quite warmly for these little guys, freaky and a bit scary as they might be. Then I scanned the drawings, adjusted the contrast a bit and printed the out to color them. This part was equally fun.

I still have a few ideas on new monsters to introduce, and some ideas on other additions I want to make to these drawings. As this week will be a bit busy I'm not sure how much work I'll get done though. But I feel good about this, I haven't had this much fun drawing in ages!

Friday, 1 September 2017

August is over and it's time to once again have a look at if I'm keeping up with my New Year's Resolutions - this time the updated ones!

Start scuba diving againnot yet. And no set plans on when this will happen either. But I haven't given up

Become a person that runsWell, in August I have gone out for a run at least once a week, every week! Think this is a pretty good start.

Paint my fingernails with fun designs more oftenNot super often, but yes, I've had some fun with this - see photos for proof!

Try galloping at least onceI was supposed to, this Wednesday, but my lesson got cancelled because of heavy rain... :(

"Read" five of my architect-booksI've started, I've picked out the once I want to read and started with one of them, however that one was so boring I will not be able to finish it.

Go 90 days straight without shopping clothesSo far so good, yes

Eat vegetarian at least two days per weekIn August I've eaten all vegetarian 12 out of 31 day, so it's looking good.

Post three blog posts per weekLooking good so far, in August I posted 19 posts, which equals more than four per week, yay!

Complete at least one project for my portfolioThis seems to be the hardest one... haven't even started

Take 90 kg in dead lift and 60 kg in deep squatsPhew, this is a goal that will be hard to complete. Right now I'm at 60 kg on deadlifts, 40 kg in squats and 45 kg in bench. Although that is with reps, haven't tried what PB I have with just one rep yet.

Well, hello there!

This is a diary, of sorts, written by me, Annika, architect turned graphic design student. I spent my first 26 years in Sweden, the following 7 in Norway and now I live with my husband and two cats in Brunei, on the tropical island Borneo. Read my blog if you - like me - are fond of traveling, dressing up, reading fantasy, watching loads of Netflix, looking at cats, dancing Lindy hop and eating candy. Occasionally I get creative and, well, create stuff. When that happens I'll most likely blog about it. Welcome!